Pair battles miles, elements
in quest to fight cancer
by George Thompson
Two marathon runners who met at a Rapid City running shop found they shared a common bond. Cancer has impacted both of their families so last week they were fulfilling a dream by running down Highway 12.
Brendan Murphy and Nolan Taylor are running a 429 mile route from Capitol, MT to Ortonville, MN for cancer, hoping to raise public awareness and funds for further research into this insidious disease.
The Chemo Is Harder Cancer Research Run started long before the creation of a web site and support from individuals and corporations.
The run was a direct result from both men's personal experience with cancer. Taylor ’s dad is currently fighting a bout of tonsil cancer he was diagnosed with in 2006 which has since led to chemo therapy, radiation, and surgery.
Murphy’s mother, Theresa is a 30 year uterine cancer survivor and his dad, Tom died of melanoma skin cancer in 2003.
Chemo Is Harder Cancer Research Run became a reality when Brendan and Nolan decided to do something for those going through cancer treatments or have friends, family or loved ones who are affected by the disease.
The two runners also want to promote a positive outlook on life and a healthy lifestyle. They call Chemo Is Harder “a grassroots effort to get everyone thinking about cancer and cancer research and how they can help.”
Their 429 mile unsupported run began April 26 in Capitol, MT with a 34 mile jaunt to Buffalo. From there the next leg took them to Reva then it was on to Bison, Coal Springs, Isabel and Glen Cross.
These no support crew, no “sag wagon” runners are self-sufficient, averaging 30 miles per day while pushing roughly 45 pounds of gear.
Brendan and Nolan hit it off right away, and they went on a 12 mile run shortly after meeting.
From Glenn Cross the pair reached Mobridge where they’ve been following Highway 12 ever since. They hoped to cap this 14-day journey by doing the final 10 miles of the run from Milbank to Ortonville with friends, families and supporters.
Along the way the men went through some enjoyable and some harrowing situations. The worst leg was outside Mobridge where the runners ran into some freezing rain. Here’s an excerpt from their blog..
“At this point we are a few miles into our walk– soaked, cold, and battling some serious headwind. Then things changed for the worst. Brendan was about a quarter mile ahead trying to convince a passing motorist who stopped to make sure we were OK that yes, we actually are of sound mind and yes we agree this is crazy and ridiculous but the show must go on.
At this point I'm not sure we are qualified to consider ourselves "of sound mind" but that’s beside the point! After the car pulled away we talked and had a chance to catch up with each other on how the first six miles had gone. Brendan's toes were in tough shape, as he could not feel a couple of them. I agreed that if we continued in this situation we were bound to have feet that looked more like hamburger than feet. Things were seriously desperate as far as cold and wet was concerned and we decided we needed to come up with a plan. We knew if we didn't do something soon someone was going to be hypothermic or frostbitten...we needed to make a decision and commit to it.”
The two men swallowed their pride and decided to flag down a vehicle to Mobridge. “Right after stopping our body stopped producing heat leaving us more vulnerable to the elements,” Nolan explained. “There we were standing on the side of the road, Brendan hiding behind a telephone pole, me squatting behind my cart, both trying to get out of the wind anyway we could.
I've been on some crazy adventures all over North and South America and have run into some situations while mountaineering where I knew my safety was in jeopardy. This situation was no different.
Not knowing when the storm would run out of steam we flagged down a truck. I introduced myself to the driver as freezing and willing to pay for his diesel to Mobridge...in fact...if you let us ride we will ride in the back with our carts.
I got all this in before he had a chance to say no and drive away. Before we knew it we were riding in the back of a truck, at 80 mph, down a highway in a fierce storm. Both of us were shivering like crazy, sitting in the back of this truck starring at our B.O.B.s covered in ice.”
The riders said the pluses on this journey far outweighs the minuses. They’re amazed at all of the generous open people they’ve met who have shared stories and hospitality.
Along the way they’ve had opportunities to speak at schools and meet all kinds of people.
Brendan says to date the ride has generated about $15,000 and counting. Once the trip is over he plans to make a DVD of their experiences and maybe write a book about them.
When Murphy, a Black Hawk resident, isn’t running, he is a full time National Guardsman stationed at Camp Rapid in Rapid City.
Taylor and his family own a a recreational vehicle boat, and small loader dealership in Great Falls.
The two said physically they’ve come through their journey without any major mishaps although they do admit the constant demands and short recovery times have put a strain on their bodies.
Both said they were looking forward to messages in Milbank that were purchased for them by a friend.
“This started out being all about people,” Murphy concluded, “We wanted to cross the state because we hoped it would make a difference. Every person we have met has some kind of story to tell.”
